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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29278083">Wings</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/silvery_sunset/pseuds/silvery_sunset'>silvery_sunset</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Haikyuu!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>AU typical violence, Adventure &amp; Romance, Alternate Universe - Dragons, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Books and Movies, Gen, Hirugami vs the Crushing Weight of Family pressure, Inspired by How to Train Your Dragon, M/M, Quest-like journey, Slow Burn</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 04:20:24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,207</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29278083</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/silvery_sunset/pseuds/silvery_sunset</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>In a world where humans fight to survive the winged creatures that claim the skies, Hirugami Sachirou makes a friend.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hirugami Sachirou/Hoshiumi Kourai</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Wings</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This fic is loosely based off books and movie so the start may seem predictable but I'll be sure to surprise you as the story goes on. At least I hope so. </p>
<p>Dragon design is really complicated and I can't draw at all so I will leave them to your imagination. </p>
<p>sorry for the lengthy first chapter there's a lot of establishments I wanted to make to hook y'all on this au I hope you like it!!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Once, the skies were filled with majestic winged creatures that terrorized those plagued to live on the ground. They were of all colors, sizes and interesting shapes, freely cutting through the light blue or obscuring the stars for a brief moment. Once, there were dragons. </p>
<p>Before the world would unite itself, a small archipelago lost in the middle of the vast ocean lived peacefully away from the threat of blood and fire. Islands that lived a calm life gave themselves and their people’s names, each one maintaining their function under that sweetly perfect scene that the humans had created for themselves. </p>
<p>In one of the many silent nights that fell upon the islands, a shape cut through the stars leaving a beam of light on its behind for no one to see. Some shifted in their sleep, too lost in dreamland to realize what was to come.</p>
<p>In the island of Miyagi, a woman slowly opened her eyes to squint them at the moonlight coming into the bedroom through the uncovered window. Hearing strange shuffling on the outside, she stands up, deciding to check on whatever there was outside. </p>
<p>With a blood curdling scream of terror, she announces it to all other humans.</p>
<p>
  <i>They’re here.</i>
</p>
<p>A teenager who happened to be breaking his parents curfew was the first one to hear, turning around, his light brown eyes reflected the flashing light coming from the house. It was burning, set on fire by them. </p>
<p>The dragons spread through all sides of the archipelago, slaying all villages in the way. For the first moment in a long time, they’ve lost their peace and were once again taught to fear and were reminded of their prison on the ground. </p>
<p>Centuries later, the tales of the first apparition of a dragon were the bedtime stories that made small children curl in feat on their beds, afraid to go anywhere beyond the frontiers of their villages. They’re taught everything the humans could know about them, they make weapons and elaborate traps, pride themselves in cutting the wings, the heads and the hearts of the flying plagues off their bodies.</p>
<p>In the small village of Kamomedai, a boy sighed inside the Salon destined to the yearly reunion of the representatives of all households to, once again, repeat the same story as they do every start of a year. Realizing he’s been spotted by his older sister, he adjusts his position on the big chair near the leader of their village, his father, and the heir, his brother. The boy runs a hand through his wavy hair trying to get his fringe out of his eyes, still letting his vision travel around the salon in order to find something to entertain himself with.</p>
<p>On the first morning of every single year since he's been born, Hirugami Sachirou wonders if there was any point in retelling the epic dragon slaying stories of the ancient heroes from Kamomedai, as if it would make any difference. The dragons were still out there, there were sure lots of them to kill in an epic grandiose way to keep telling these dumb stories to not let the poor children sleep. </p>
<p>To stop himself from sleeping and tainting the pride of the leader house of Kamomedai, Sachirou glued his eyes to a map stuck on the wall in front of them, naming the islands and letting the imaginary sound of the sea take him away from that nightmare. </p>
<p>He can feel his shoulders rocking slowly from side to side on the chair, maybe it wasn’t a good idea, he couldn’t sleep in the middle of the meeting again. Trying to suppress a yawn, Sachirou tried with all his might to open his eyes. </p>
<p>"And what about your youngest, Hirugami-san?" One of the elders asks at the man sitting on the chair at the edge of the table. </p>
<p>"Sachirou excels in the combats at the Arena, I am sure his experience and the examples we all set for him will make his gift bloom. It's a matter of time." </p>
<p>"He's not a teen anymore, Hirugami-san. We love Sachirou-kun, I'm sure he doesn't mind only helping inside the smithy." Sachirou knows this voice, Nemuri-san steps by at the smithy to get her pots fixed, she always makes sure to bring him a nice snack. </p>
<p>"Sachirou will be a warrior soon. He'll be part of the golden generation we're making. This is a good year for Kamomedai, Nemuri-san."</p>
<p>At every word uttered by his father, Sachirou feels the seat of his chair swallowing his body inside it. There's a raised hand and and off topic comment that soon turns into political discussion regarding the other sides of the archipelago, he couldn't be more grateful. </p>
<p>His meal is half eaten, but there's so much he can eat without exploding inside. Sachirou excuses himself out of the table silently, feeling the eyes of his least favorite sibling on the back of his head. </p>
<p>He's tired, he'll say if Fukuro-nii asks. He'll make sure to sleep at home more than necessary. For now, the nautic maps for the distant lands that surrounded his small island looked nice enough to keep him in the other room of the Salon, similar to those in the Halls of the Dragon Dungeon Arena. </p>
<p>"Sachirou." It's Shouko, of course. </p>
<p>"Nee-san." He laughs. "You found me." </p>
<p>"Father means what he says, he just doesn't word it well. You know that." She steps to stand beside him, searching for the spot on the map he had his eyes on before. </p>
<p>"I'm used to it already, don't worry." Sachirou scratches the back of his head. "Shouldn't you come back to the meeting? They'll notice you left."</p>
<p>Shouko sighs. She leans against the wall, her tall frame accompanying the frame that holds the map on it. Her brown hair is pulled in a ponytail, she blows the fringe away from her eyes and buries her face in her coat.</p>
<p>"As part of this family, we have a mission, Sachirou." </p>
<p>"Hirugami, the house where the blood of heroes runs in… don't you think about it sometimes?" </p>
<p>"We were born into a war we didn't choose nor cause. It's one of these things, Sachirou, those who happen for a reason." She opened her crossed arms to him, a warm smile on her face. </p>
<p>There's bloodshed and war in his village, an eternal fight for survival where they'd meant to be the weakest link. Among those, there's a history of slightly stronger people, steps forward into a win Sachirou could never visualize. Not by blood stained hands and screams of pain, even if they were from stories he'd heard before bed time. </p>
<p>"I just think we should do something different…" he says, voice muttered by the fluffy coat where he buried his face in his sister's collar. She pulled him away, a hand ruffling his already messy hair. </p>
<p>
  <i>"There's a meaning to the name of this family, we all know you'll honor it, Sachirou. Don't run away from your legacy."</i>
</p>
<p>In this world, they're born with a purpose marked on the tortuous unknown path of life. Death is certainly uncertain every day when flying demons haunt over your land. </p>
<p>"Make this life your own, Sachirou" Shouko says, and at night, lying on his bed, he can still hear it. </p>
<p>"I promise."</p>
<p>٭٭٭</p>
<p>Hirugami Sachirou knows exactly how he ended up stuck inside a smithy as fire rains from the sky and screams of despair echo from the outside, and he’s perfectly fine with it. </p>
<p>He doesn’t know if the smell of smoke comes from the recently put out forges or the burning crops that crackle some miles away. Sachirou rolls his eyes at someone he doesn’t really recognize unsheathing a sword and screaming at the top of their lungs, latching on to the causes of the fire in the first place. </p>
<p>Sachirou’s arms are starting to hurt from holding a useless sword in guard, he rolls out his shoulders, wincing at a pretty nasty wet noise coming from someone who’s drenched in not very human blood. </p>
<p>Kamomedai is a nice island, a bit too cold on winter days, it has mountains everywhere one’s eyes could see, the rainy season was tremendously depressing. It also had dragons. A noticeable inconvenience, he would say, squeezing himself against the weaponry cabinet ready to handle some deadly thing he helped make to that one nice neighbor he helped the previous day, who would be filled with murderous rage bragging about cutting the demons’ wings off. </p>
<p>“Sachirou!” a voice calls him from the counter outside the smithy, the owner of it is climbing up to meet his eyes. His green eyes shine under the light of the moon. The stranger lands not very gracefully on the floor, running a hand through short white hair. “What the hell are you doing here?” he sighs.</p>
<p>“Dad asked me to take care of the smithy for the day. Do you need anything, Kourai-kun? Did they finally get you to go hunt these things?” Kourai rolled his eyes, letting out a small scoff. Sachirou smiled, pulling the key that hung from the necklace on his neck.</p>
<p>“Did you polish it?” He asked, branding the silvery sword handed to him, a hand sliding over the blade.</p>
<p>“Nii-san said he’d take care of it. He also said it was really small for a sword.” Sachirou locked the cabinet back, frowning at the flash of light coming from behind them, followed by a muffled growl. </p>
<p>“Captain Fukuro sure does love playing around.” </p>
<p>“He’s scared of you, I told him it was yours.” Kourai looked up from meticulously analyzing the polishing job on his word, raising an eyebrow. "Is he?" There's a hint of amusement that Kourai cannot contain when he puts the sword back inside the sheath. </p>
<p>Sachirou knows, because it's the same amusement he'd display on their first day inside the training arena at the gaping mouths of all students who dismissed him for his size. </p>
<p>Kourai's smile makes him want to smile too before they're both pulled back into the typical dragon night by horrific screaming and a nearby explosion. </p>
<p>"Duty calls you, doesn't it?" Sachirou gazes at the mess at the outside, leaning his body outside the smithy. </p>
<p>"I hope they let me in this time." </p>
<p>"They won't have time to complain." He giggles, handling a shield from the smithy to Kourai. "Good luck out there. If you see Shouko-nee, tell her to get the hell out of there before Dad sees her!" </p>
<p>"No way I'm doing that, I don't want her to fight me."</p>
<p>"She'll fight you anyway if you meet."</p>
<p>Kourai's annoyed look was not enough to stop him from waving goodbye at Sachirou before disappearing into the small sea of people that growled and cursed at the flying creatures, weapons dirty with green blood.</p>
<p>The noise makes his head hurt. He sighs, discarding the sword when it starts fading away. Sachirou sat on the floor, his wavy fringe obscuring the sight of the small beam of the light that came from the clear winter morning of the early full moon.</p>
<p>His eyes flutter shut for mere seconds, in his mind there's flashes of fangs, claws and his own hands dirty with the acidic green blood, burning his skin.</p>
<p>A high pitched sound echoes in the air making his head bang against the wooden cupboard. Sachirou stands up, stumbling on his own sword. The noise of people on the outside is silenced slowly when it appears again, as if it cut through thin air. </p>
<p>
  <i>A Fury. </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>"There's a meaning to the name of this family, we all know you'll honor it, Sachirou. Don't run away from your legacy."</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>"The blood of heroes runs in you, too. You can be like them."</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>"Make this life your own."</i>
</p>
<p>He takes in a deep breath, clutching the key of his own weaponry storage to his fist hard enough for it to heat up in his hand. Sachirou pulls a net and a wooden support out of it and throws it over his own shoulders. He sees the white flash of an explosion, out of the village, the star of the forest that cornered them in the island. </p>
<p>"A promise is a promise." </p>
<p>٭٭٭<br/>
Hiking the hills of the woods that surrounded their island was not that easy when Sachirou carried a sword and his trap with him. His chest hurt from his heavy breathing and so did his back. Sachirou asked the skies to keep the Fury in place, just enough, just so he could get rid of it. </p>
<p>He's running out of hopes when the trap is set on a clearing spot, it was near one of his favorite landscapes, he could see the start of the sunlight rising in the line where the sky met the sea. The shadow of the creature sends all dragons and warriors home, praying and hiding, hoping. </p>
<p><i>Don't fail me this time</i>, he doesn't know if he's talking to his weapon, his shaky aiming hand or his own mind. His own thoughts felt numb, his entire body did. </p>
<p>Sachirou releases his breath when the shadow obscuring the stars goes past the aim of his trap. With a pull of a lever, a heavy net is shot across the sky. </p>
<p>One last blow announces the sunset. Hirugami Sachirou sits on the grass, panting, knuckle-white grip on the wooden support set for his own trap. </p>
<p><i>"Finally" </i>he manages to utter. </p>
<p>Sachirou basks in the warmth of the sunlight on his way back home</p>
<p>For some reason, it's the coldest morning he's ever felt, Sachirou hugs his arms, trembling. </p>
<p>
  <i>Finally. </i>
</p>
<p>٭٭٭<br/>
The Hirugami family birthed the most remarkable heroes of Kamomedai’s story since the village was founded, raising from the ground the first and oldest blacksmith that fed their home’s weaponry against the winged beasts. </p>
<p>Whenever Sachirou ditched his duties in the Arena, he'd sneak in the middle of the blacksmiths and offer a helping hand. Although the place was noisy and dark all day, Sachirou liked the place. He'd learned how to forge and test swords from seeing his brother and father work there since he was little and it wasn't unusual to have many clients per day, making the youngest of the Hirugami heirs a popular figure in the village. A kid with a polite smile, always helping the elders to take something from the forge to their homes. </p>
<p>When walking to the blacksmith's forge the morning after the attack, Sachirou saw chaos spread. The grass all around the front gate that gave way to the coast was burnt, some sparks still trying to rebirth the fire. </p>
<p>Sachirou's eyes widened at the sight of the decaying blacksmith, the roof gone, taken by fire. Tilting slightly to the side, the structure was held by one of his brother's co-workers while being analyzed by Fukuro himself, who frowned at it. </p>
<p>"How did they manage to enter here?" Sachirou asked, fully aware of the answer, before running beside the blacksmith trying to lift the pillar that tilted the forge, slowly placing it at a more stable position. </p>
<p>"Furies, it's almost impossible to spot them in the sky at night, they flew over our defense. We only got some of them once they were on the floor, but none were dead." Fukuro scratched his head, pulling out a messy sketch of the attacked territory from his pocket, Sachiro looking over his shoulder. </p>
<p>"Rebuilding the blacksmith is a priority then, there's no way they won't come back." </p>
<p>"Yes, we'll do it as soon as possible, Sachirou, along with trying to find their hideout in the forest." He pointed at the area with arrows that seemed to indicate an attempt to map out the escape trajectory of the Furies. </p>
<p>"Isn't it risky to send a searching group at a moment where we should focus on our defense lines in the frontier?" </p>
<p>"Uh, actually, that was one of our priorities too…" Fukuro dismissed, tucking the map inside his pocket again. </p>
<p>"Nii-san, didn't you always say that a good defense is the best kind of attack?" Sachirou grinned at him. </p>
<p>"You're smart, Sachirou." Fukuro smiled, a big hand ruffling Sachirou's already messy hair. "Now aren't you late for the meeting in the Arena? You weren't planning on ditching again, were you?"</p>
<p><i>You gotta be kidding me…</i>, Sachirou kept the small smile on his face. "Do you think we'll still have activities inside the Arena after the attack? I'm sure our tutor has bigger worries than watching everyone fight"</p>
<p>"You're not tricking me this time. Go, go you're already late, they must be starting the training already."<br/>
٭٭٭<br/>
The Arena was built around half a century after the first dragon attack and its early purpose was to keep some captured beasts alive inside it, as a makeshift dungeon. Times changed and the demands for warriors inside Kamomedai only growed with the birth of every new generation. The attacks grew more frequently at night. In fear of leaving families unprotected, the chiefs decided to teach the art of slaying the winged devils to the younger members of the village. </p>
<p>The training would start at the moment a child was able to yield a weapon with no problem, some great talents were found inside the Arena and became to be celebrated. Fighting and teaching inside of it was a different kind of honor that not every warrior in the village could receive. </p>
<p>At sixteen years old, Hirugami Sachirou was forced into attending the training in the Arena under the promise of following the tradition of his household. For the past three years, he'd been sneaking out of the practices to work in his family's business and talk to his brother's nice friends who would always come by. </p>
<p>Running into a building where he knew blood had been spilled before was never a good sensation to begin with. </p>
<p>Whenever Sachirou would enter the great Hall of meetings, very similar to the Salon of the Chiefs, he'd turn left to the corridor of the legends. It was always empty, he assumed it was because of the paintings on the walls and the maps, drawn with a maroon paint that looked too much like blood for one's comfort. From the roof to the floor, they were covered in illustrations of the myths that perpetrated through his village and the island since the dragons first stepped in. Glorious pictures of warriors drenched in dragon blood, holding their heads in their hands and slicing their wings and legs off. </p>
<p>Sometimes, he'd swear the ground beneath his feet shook slightly in response, reminding him what kind of secrets were hidden under the ground of the old dragon dungeon. </p>
<p>This morning, Sachirou doesn't have the time, he rushes into the Great Hall following the sounds of kids blabbering. </p>
<p>"Didn't get to run away from us today, did you?"<br/>
He could hear the grin in Kourai's voice that was muffled by the cacophony of the voices of the other young kids inside the Arena. Sachirou rolled his eyes at two siblings that pushed each other's shoulders until one of them fell off the bench they were on. Taking that space, he sat on Kourai's right. </p>
<p>"Oh, Sachirou, you're here today. How's the smithy?" From behind Kourai a tall kid that was Sachirou's age greeted. </p>
<p>"Last night's attack got Nii-san and the others pretty badly, but they're already working on a temporary tent. Long time no see, Gao." And at that remark, Gao flashed him a small smile before flinching at the noise of something clashing against a steel pan. </p>
<p>Kourai rolled his eyes at Gao's reaction, the loud noise overtaking the big Hall at the entrance of the training Arena and quickly making the chatting die down. </p>
<p>"Hirugami-kun, I see you're here today." Sachirou' eyes widened. Showing his teeth in an awkward grin, he scratched the back of his head. "Nice to see you, Sir." </p>
<p>Aeryn-sensei had taken over the command of the training arena since the old teacher had disappeared during a dragon attack years before. He was a traveler from a land outside of the archipelago, a so-called continent, which most of the villagers in Kamomedai didn't believe since the teacher didn't have a reputation for being a reasonable person. </p>
<p>You didn't really have to be a reasonable person to teach kids to kill beasts, only a good grasp of how weapons work and a lot of free time, which Aeryn-san really did have. </p>
<p>"Have you heard the attack last night, boy?" He asks to Sachirou while sharpening the axe that he was using to beat against the shield before. </p>
<p>"Yes, sir." Sachirou gulps. "It was kind of hard not to hear it, I've caught up with the trouble it caused too, including our smithy." </p>
<p>"Someone's gotta work on protecting us." The teacher smiled, way kinder than usual, turning to all the students. "I hope you guys are luckier than old men like me." </p>
<p>With no warning, he tossed the axe to Sachirou's direction, blade spinning in the air. Its blade swept a single strand of light brown hair that got caught on it before stopping on its track, stopped by Kourai's hand that tightly grasped the handle, one foot supporting his body so he wouldn't stumble forward due to the weight of the blade. Although it didn't look iron heavy in his hands, the double edged axe perfectly fit in his hands. </p>
<p>"You owe me this one." Kourai said after standing up to give the axe back, elbowing Sachirou's side. </p>
<p>"How the hell is he gonna pay? With his head?" Gao whispered from behind him. </p>
<p>"It was gonna hit the chest you idiot." Kourai retorted, kicking his leg. </p>
<p>"Still, there's no way to pay for the sh—"</p>
<p>"We're here to learn to survive, aren't we? Learn your lessons." Their teacher said, glaring at the two of them. The two looked away from each other, going back to Kourai kicking Gao's shins while the other winced and cursed under his breath when he turned around. </p>
<p>Sachirou could only roll his eyes to the back of his head in his own imagination, covering up the annoyance with a permanent kind smile whenever someone looked his way.<i> Achieve peace by improving war, sure thing.</i></p>
<p>"I've been worried about the recent attacks, the last year was tough on all of us so I asked for the chief to allow me to intensify your training with a more realistic approach." Aeryn commented while the messy line of teens walked into the visible part of the arena. </p>
<p>Above their heads, a translucent dome was built so the access to the underground would be easily observed by anyone who wanted to watch the fights. Every day, the open fighting space would change for an obstacle race or divided into smaller spaces for sparring. Hearing the sound of swords rattling and the gates of the entryway opening, Sachirou was once again reminded of why he hated the place. </p>
<p>Aeryn-san was now detailing the latest attacks that were commented at the new year's meeting. From their harvest being completely burnt to the first attack of the new lucky year being a bird of Furies, he sure had a lot to talk about. His habit of making old man metaphors with fishing and sailing to the sea did not help at all. </p>
<p>Still, he stole Sachirou's and everyone else's attention when the gate for the dungeon started moving and Aeryn's face stayed as kind as ever. </p>
<p>"Today, we're practicing with dragons!" </p>
<p>
  <i>No fucking way. </i>
</p>
<p>Protests we're about to echo through the walls of the field, the sound stuck in the throats of all the students with the loud thud on the enormous wooden door of the gate that protected one of the cells in the dungeon.</p>
<p>"Isn't this a bit dangerous?" Gao asked, lifting a trembling hand. Their teacher laughed a little, punching the door back slightly, the answer was a louder thud. </p>
<p>"I'll only allow the older ones for today, three years of training or more. I guarantee that the chances of getting hurt are smaller. Your goal today is to not get harmed while you run."</p>
<p>"This is ridiculous." Kourai gritted through his teeth when they gathered at the weapons storage. He twisted the sword he found in the back of it, feeling its weight on his wrist. </p>
<p>"Don't you think getting a shield is the best way to not get harmed?" </p>
<p>"If you find a shield big enough to protect you, tell me." Kourai snorted, looking over the place where the shields were lined up. "As long as we're fast enough, they're not catching us."</p>
<p>"Easy for you to say, Kourai-kun." Sachirou replied, getting his own shield, not much to protect his entire body. Just like Gao, his height made the whole deal for hiding and protecting himself way harder than it would be for Kourai. </p>
<p>Taking a sword as well, Sachirou's eyes concentrated on the way the light flowed through the blade. It was light on his arm, the guard made the swings draw a nice trajectory in the air. He didn't recognize the pattern drawn on the steel of the blade. It was probably made for easy sparring. </p>
<p>"The wings are likely to be bound, so our exercise is basically to run away from the thing and not let it set us on fire."</p>
<p>"What a simple task." Gao scoffed. </p>
<p>It was not simple at all. </p>
<p>Before the sign was given, Sachirou's eyes met the dragon's form. A red leather book cover flashes in his head, almost burning beside the fireplace. Words he'd read long ago on a boring day stuck inside the big house, his siblings and parents away at their duties in the same arena he stepped in at the time. </p>
<p>In the book, behind the scribbly drawing of a dragon on the cover, it read. </p>
<p>
  <i>All dragons are generally the same. A pair of wings on a reptilian body, usually sustained by four legs and a long tail. </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Nevertheless, differences spotted in attack patterns, firepower and many other traits can be pointed out by classifying their appearance. </i>
</p>
<p>On that afternoon, he stumbled on his feet upstairs when the noise of the shackles locking the door crackled in the living room. His small hands pushed the clothes in the cupboard aside, feeling the wood. Little Sachirou feels cold metal against his hand and soon it is locked inside the chest in the back of that closet. His small heart felt like screaming. The words and images in the book repeating themselves in the back of his head in a flash. </p>
<p>There's a whisper, soft and sweet, enticing voice he can't point out the owner. <i>Fascinating, isn't it?</i> It murmurs, lulling his sleep that night when he imagines silhouettes of creatures cutting the night sky. </p>
<p>"Amazing." Sachirou sighed in a small and barely audible voice before sleep takes the thoughts away from him. </p>
<p>Sachirou gave a good look to the thing before planning his way into the idiotic activity. It was big, at least half the size of his two story house. Its blue scales were pale, likely due to spending so much time chained in the dungeon away from the sky. The wings were bound to its body by shackles and slightly torn at the edges from where he could see, but the wingspan was likely to be impressive off the length he estimated. Spikes of a darker blue were all over the spine and the heavy tail that swung furiously before it was released into the field. The dragon stood in its backside paws but the way it squirmed in its restraints and scratched the air could mean it could crawl, even with smaller limbs on the front. </p>
<p>
  <i>When their defense assets are exaggeratedly aggressive, in most cases, it means little firepower behind it.</i>
</p>
<p><i>All of you have limits</i>. He didn't have the time to place the shield on his left arm in place before Koura jumped in the dragon's direction, pushing Sachirou aside while screaming. </p>
<p>Kourai lands almost face to face with the creature, in the blink of an eye, light and heat spread on their faces. Sachirou thinks he just heard his teacher's raspy laugh. </p>
<p>They hear a scream from the other side of the field at the blazing flame spectacle and Sachirou finally notices the boulders and pillars scattered all over the large area. A simple task, sure thing. </p>
<p>"We were supposed to run away from the thing, why are you trying to incapacitate it already?" Sachirou yells breathlessly, pulling Kourai's arm to get him away from the dragon. Its eyes squinted in the sunlight that reached the Arena from the ceiling. <i>It probably guides itself through hearing. </i></p>
<p>"Kourai-kun, you're not bleeding anywhere, are you?" </p>
<p>"No, jeez, I'm fine." He snorted, pulling the two of them into the walls of the round training area to dodge another blast of flames at the distracted duo of screamers that looked too much like Gao and the quieter kid that slacked off the slaying practices more than Sachirou himself, Bessho-kun.</p>
<p>"I was gaining us time. You didn't need to come pick me up." Kourai whispers, wincing when his head hits the concrete wall behind them. </p>
<p>"I know, Kourai-kun." Sachirou cracks him a smile. "We're gonna need more of that."</p>
<p>Kourai raises an eyebrow before picking up the soot covered shield strapped to his forearm and readjusting it in place. "What's the plan?" </p>
<p>"We'll make it shoot." He stood up. "Let's make some noise."</p>
<p>"I trust you on that!" Kourai exclaimed before running into the open field, launching himself with his free arm over a fallen pillar. </p>
<p>"Hey, you overgrown lizard, down here!" Sachirou holds back his laughter at the gratuitous insult. He sprints towards the dragon that now has its back on him, the head tilts left and right before following Kourai's direction. "Why don't you try fighting someone you can catch?" </p>
<p>Sachirou pulls out the dagger on his belt and scratches it over the steel shield, the screeching echoing perfectly in the dome they were stuck in. </p>
<p>The dragon throws its head back and roars, fire flooding the air. The screeching doesn't stop, Kourai continues to scream at it, supported by the sounds of all the students running away from the beast. It wheezes and blasts again, head turning to all corners desperately searching for the source of the sound. </p>
<p>
  <i>Just one more, come on…</i>
</p>
<p>Sachirou mutters the plea in small breaths, stepping backwards towards the creature. Kourai makes noise with his shield too, Gao and Bessho seem to understand it, he hears the boulders rolling and pillars cracking on the floor. Just a single shoot and they'd be done. </p>
<p>Blind gray eyes with slit pupils meet his brow irises before bruising pain spreads all over Sachirou's back, blurring his vision. His breath is ragged, way too ragged from just running around. Three long terrifyingly sharp claws press against his windpipe. His body freezes, there's no strength in his grip on his weapons. </p>
<p>The dragon that stared at him in fury looked like it could see him for a second before opening its mouth for the last shot. Sachirou can't bear to look, the empty stare of those eyes would be burned in the back of his eyelids.</p>
<p>Quivering, void-like black in gray.</p>
<p>Claws constrict his throat harder, they're trembling. Of course, the shackles still bind them to the torso of the creature, forced to stumble on its two paws. </p>
<p>Sachirou's eyelids open up a mere slit. </p>
<p><i>Help me, </i>there's a pained whisper in those throbbing pupils, squinting, chasing its capture.</p>
<p>The heat disappears from his face, air finally returning to his lungs. Their teacher pulls the shackles that wrap around the Dragon's torso with both hands, sighing. "It was a good plan, Hirugami." He smiles. </p>
<p>"For all of you. You did pretty well, I'm gonna try to be tougher next time since you handled the Nebula so nicely." Aeryn's smile faded when his eyes went back to Sachirou, who sat on the floor down the wall, waiting for his heartbeat to get out of his eardrums. </p>
<p>"Never forget this, Hirugami-kun. They will always, always go for the kill. I'd recommend take the wings and the head first before you're at their mercy." </p>
<p>"Yes, sir." Sachirou stood up, straightening his back.<br/>
٭٭٭<br/>
<i>I’m one of them. </i></p>
<p>His trembling hands insist on gripping the sword strapped to his waist, a leverage, a grounding weight that showed him this place wasn’t where he was meant to be. He should kill it, strip it of its wings or heart, take it for his family to see and never remember it ever again unless for a funny story to tell his kids in the future.</p>
<p>The noise of rock cracking in the middle of the clearing that marked the place made Hirugami stop on his tracks. </p>
<p>Writhing under the ropes, wings straining against the weights that held it to the floor, was the most beautiful and majestic dragon he had ever seen. It was about the size of one of the trees he was hiding behind, but not very tall. The scales shined under the sun that penetrated in the clearing, they were mostly beige, the underside being of a lighter color, almost white, Black scales were splattered all over its torso, gathering on the wings that repeated the color pattern. </p>
<p>The dragons Sachirou had observed from afar and the ones in the illustrations of the Great Hall of the chiefs were always black and red, monsters lustful for human blood that haunted children in bedtime stories.</p>
<p>
  <i>They’re wrong. </i>
</p>
<p> Real dragons were beautiful, of all colors one could imagine. The ones kept in the training arena by the bay of the island displayed light blue and green shades of scales, like a clear sky or the leaves of a forest. Their colors were paler, beaten with time and fading slowly as they were stuck in the darkness of the dungeons, used as punching bags. </p>
<p>It was the first time he’d seen such a wild dragon this big from so close. </p>
<p>When he stepped up mere inches away from it and locked his light brown eyes with the dragon’s gold and black, Sachirou was sure it’d be the last. </p>
<p>He ran his eyes through its body, the flippers were tense, spiked up like the body of a scared cat, tail completely still on its behind. The wings were retracted. From what Sachirou could see by the way he’d been trapped, they weren't injured at all.<br/>
The dragon’s chest rose and fell quickly, Sachirou noticed he did the same, ragged breathing foggin his thoughts. His hand still gripped the handle of the sword so tight he felt the wood heat up under his palm. The dragon looked at him again and growled. It was low, the only noise between the two of them for seconds that felt like hours. </p>
<p>Sachirou took a deep breath before unsheathing his sword with his eyes closed. The dragon let out a small sound, not fitting its size, or its nature. He let his hand steady a bit more. </p>
<p>
  <i>You’re scared.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>But it 's okay. </i>
</p>
<p><i>Thwip</i>, was the sound of the first rope of the trap ripping apart. “I’m not going to hurt you.” he whispered, watching the dragon become completely still under his hands, still shaky, cutting its prison apart. </p>
<p>So what if it was a dumb decision? Sachirou has been doing way too many of these lately. When the blade cuts the last rope that imprisoned the dragon’s wings, there’s no time to admire the good work he’s done before the dragon pins him against the floor, its growl making his ears ring and the floor beneath him shake. </p>
<p>Its eyes gaze at him furiously searching for something Sachirou couldn’t name. He couldn’t name anything at the moment, his entire body froze and he wasn’t sure if it shook because of the cold or if it was him trying to ease out of the beast’s grasp. It’s hard to breathe with the way the big clawed paw presses his chest on the grass, scratching his cheek on the small pebbles on the ground.</p>
<p>Sachirou’s head is already spinning, it hurts to keep breathing, he feels as if this is the last sigh he’ll give. He hears the sound of steel falling, vaguely registering the lack of the weight of the sword in his hands. </p>
<p>The weight leaves his back, shuffles away. Sachirou lets air enter his lungs and sits up slowly, his unfocused vision registering the sight before him.</p>
<p>The dragon is gone, he sees the leaves of the trees on the small hill that followed the clearing shuffling around, but it was gone. The dragon spared his life. </p>
<p>Just like he did.</p>
<p>٭٭٭<br/>
<i>It’s all good.</i> Sachirou tells himself, a gloved hand tightening his grip around the leather strap of the bag he carried on his back. He walked slower than usual, feet carefully stepping away from any kind of pebble or stick on the ground.<i> It’s all good. Just feed the thing and step away. A fed animal won’t have any reason to eat you. All good. </i></p>
<p>When he closed his eyes, Sachirou feels the flashing heat from the dragon attack of the previous day, his back was full bruises and scratches from pressing himself against the rough walls of the arena,but it was far from being the main reason he hadn’t slept that night. </p>
<p>The bushes that mark the clearing were covered in snow, but Sachirou could still see the small X cut on the log of the pine tree that sat beside his gate to a third possible death in a week. That must be some kind of record somewhere.</p>
<p>There’s shuffling behind the bushes, loud as if something was shaking the tree’s leaves from the bottom where their roots met the ground. He stood on his tiptoes to see what lies beyond them. Scratches on rocks from gigantic claws where everywhere, dozens of disordered patterns. <i>There isn’t really going back, is there?</i></p>
<p>Letting air fill his chest and leave it as slowly as he could, Sachirou pushes the space between the bushes and steps in. </p>
<p>Silence. </p>
<p>His eyes are squeezed shut, hands grasping the bag’s strap for his dear life. Dread fills his stomach when the shuffling comes back, closer than he remembered hearing. The leaves shaking to the wind make his ears ring. Sachirou releases the leather strap one finger at a time, placing his hands up in surrender. </p>
<p>A sniff on his backpack.</p>
<p>“Do you want what’s in here?” he asks, the small laugh that comes by habit, pulled out of his voice whenever that dread filled his throat with the overwhelming burn he could only name his survival instinct. They’d gotten pretty familiar in the past few days. </p>
<p>The shuffling fades away from his backside, pebbles roll on the floor. Sachirou breathes out and lets the sight of the clearing slowly focus in his vision. </p>
<p>The trees on the top of the hill that surrounds them and keeps the place mostly hidden from most of the recognition missions from the village cast a shadow over the grass. Glowing golden eyes stare beneath the darkness, slit pupils twitching. </p>
<p>
  <i>No one has ever lived to tell the story. </i>
</p>
<p>He doesn’t have the time to take in the full sight before the creature glides above his head, cornering Sachirou to the shadowed wall of stone it hid in seconds before. It steps in slowly, not so merciful anymore. With his heart hammering inside his chest, Sachirou feels the stone wall against his back. He grasps the bag on his shoulders and throws it forward.<i> Please, please be hungry right now. </i></p>
<p>It sniffs his backpack again before a slash of its claws is enough to tear the leather part, revealing the fish hidden inside it. Sachirou thinks he sees the creature’s slit eyes light up under the sun before it looks at him again, tilting its head to the left.</p>
<p>Sachirou separates his back from the wall and frowns at the dragon. “What’s wrong?” Wrong answer, it hisses at him, head lowering itself near the floor. Sachirou follows the line its golden pupils trace on his body, the dragon doesn’t look to this face, but lower. He lifts his hand and slides it from his neck to the waist.</p>
<p>When they brush against his sheathed sword, the dragon flinches. </p>
<p>
  <i>I want you to trust me. I won’t hurt you. </i>
</p>
<p>“It’s okay, you can have it.” Sachirou unsheathes it and throws it to the side, the dragon’s watchful eyes observe the metal glinting in the light before falling near its feet. A backside paw kicks it away. </p>
<p>“If I let you eat all of this, can I leave?” The way the dragon’s eyes blink quickly at the sound of his voice and how it turns its head to the side make Sachirou try to keep the dialogue, as insane as it could sound. it doesn’t respond to him in any way, preferring to dive into the pile of raw fish on the floor, devouring all of them. He doesn't know if getting offended is some kind of ungratefulness to the gods that spared his life, but it doesn't stop Hirugami from rolling his eyes before walking away from the shadows.</p>
<p>Sachirou stops on his way, he’s away enough to be able to take in the dragon’s full form under the sunlight. Different from the more aggressive species he knew, the Fury only had one head in a small neck, short but strong clawed paws that resemble the ones of a small lizard. He remembers the notebook he left strapped to his belt right beside the sword and pulls it out. Sitting on the grass, he starts tracing with a pencil the profile view of the dragon that no living man ever knew. </p>
<p>“Your wingspan is big enough to compensate for your size. Still, I wonder how much strength you have to lift yourself off the ground, it must be tiring…"</p>
<p>The dragon turns to him and scoffs, it's eyes squinting at Sachirou. </p>
<p>"What? You're pretty big."</p>
<p>It snarls, tail whipping the floor. The dragon goes back to slowly devour the fish in the bag. </p>
<p>Sachirou rolls his eyes. When he tries to get a front view of him, the dragon turns his head away with snarls and scoffs. He chased the view of his face without the notebook, but it kept turning away from him. The way he kept his head up, high stance and pride oozing from that reptilian body in a way too familiar for Sachirou made his lips curve into a small smile. </p>
<p>
  <i>What a strong personality…</i>
</p>
<p>"Since you want to behave like a person so bad, I should give you a name." He takes his hand to his chin, a name goes over his head. "Ko...Kotarou."</p>
<p>The dragon turns to him. He tilts his head. "Do you like it, Kotarou?" </p>
<p>Sachirou takes the sneeze of the dragon as approval, finally managing to pull his notebook out and scribble his front view. </p>
<p>With the drawing finished, Sachirou took a close look of Kotarou's face. Wide, expressive golden eyes. </p>
<p><i>Pretty</i>, is all his mind lets him register.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>ITS FINALLY HERE AAAA<br/>for everyone who kept up.with this insanity on my Twitter I hope you think this is worth it. I've been working on this chapter specifically for over a month. It gave me time to rewatch the movie, reread my favorite books of the series and revisit this universe with a new outlook, it was really fun!<br/>Hiruhoshi are my life fuel I hope to make the romance justice here too. Mind I'm focusing on Kotarou and hirugami at the start because they're the main characters lol<br/>Anyway, thank you so much for reading and if you don't mind, please leave me a comment! I'll post the second chapter in this same month </p>
<p>If you want to chat about hrhs or dragons, I'm on Twitter as @fucktakuchi</p></blockquote></div></div>
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